Spatial Language of Dissent in New Delhi: Public Space, Protests, and the National Capital (c. 1947–2022)

Abstract

After independence, early decades in the Indian capital city were marked by ceremonials, demonstrations and politico-religious addresses. The enthusiasm of the nascent state trying to forge a shared public sphere was dampened by voices of dissent from different opposition groups. These voices took the form of demonstrations and sit-ins in New Delhi, especially around the Parliament Street. Thus, challenging elected government’s use of space for functional and ceremonial purposes through such acts. However, the government, in order to contain protesting publics, could not continue to deploy the measures of colonial crowd control, and had to come up with means suitable for its democratic setup. Over years these contestations regarding defining use of public spaces between state and public(s) resulted in the development of guidelines and defining of designated sites of protest. In this view, the purpose of this paper is to contribute toward understanding of New Delhi’s space post-1947 and explain how certain demonstrations led to shaping of the government’s approach regarding protest sites. The same will be done by bridging the gap between spatial and socio-cultural theorists to study the capital city beyond its architectural grandeur and theoretical claims about public space. Overall, the paper is organized into four parts: the first section explores the idea of public space in the national capital with focus on importance of the Parliament House; the second and third sections study specific sites like Boat Club, Ramlila Maidan and Jantar Mantar in association with protests like JP Movement; and the final part looks at the evolution of government guidelines and the emergence of contained protest sites.